It’s unusual for the heroine of a historical romance such as this to be in trade - more so that she’s the widow of a bookseller and still runs a bookshop. But there’s more to Juliana Merton than dowdy bibliophile, as the Marquis of Chase discovers when he asks her to help him buy back a family treasure, a particular book.

Chase (or Cain, as he’s known to his friends) is also not quite what he seems. Everyone knows he’s a shocking rake, but as Juliana gets to know him she sees a different side. As the story progresses, we begin to understand how his reputation has developed.

The several mysteries in this story take second place to the interactions between Chase and Juliana. I very much enjoyed the interactions between the two and the way in which we slowly uncover Chase’s true nature - which is very appealing. Some of the characters are perhaps a little too eccentric at times - such as Chase’s mother and one of the other book collectors - but overall it was an interesting look into the world of the book collector and the life of someone from the middle classes (or so we believe).